Teenage cadets spent hours dousing a porpoise with water after it was stranded on a beach at Ballykinler Army camp.

The animal was weak and dehydrated after being found stranded on the Co Down shore on Saturday.

A squad of Army cadets aged between 11 and 16, who were on a weekend camp, carried buckets of water to keep the porpoise alive until wildlife experts arrived.

Colm Reavey, scientific officer with Northern Ireland Enivronmental Agency, who refloated the animal, said: "A small squad attended and worked with commendable endeavour to bring buckets of water up from the sea to pour over the porpoise.

"On arrival I was able to get the porpoise into the water with the assistance of the cadets.

"It was stranded at this time for several hours and was very weak. Progress was slow and it stranded twice more on the beach and had to be refloated before it eventually was able to successfully make its way out to sea."